The waiver request would allow the state to comply with House Bill 866, which would allow high-performing elementary and middle school students to skip reading and math tests if they had aced them in previous years.

It was one of several bills this session aimed at reducing the impact of high-stakes tests after the debut of the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness, or STAAR test. Students transitioned to the more rigorous exam last year amid almost immediate calls for its reform.

Another bill, House Bill 5, will reduce tests by one-third for high school students. HB 866 would slice the number of tests for students in lower grades, but NCLB uses tests from elementary and middle school students for its own accountability system.

Williams' letter said the bill would allow students ahead of the curve to “focus their time and energy on learning new material and not focusing every year on a test where there is a high likelihood that they would demonstrate success.”

HB 866 won't take effect this year and the letter is not an official request for a waiver, agency officials said.